Still Good
by MarvelGeek
Summary: Jimmy Palmer has a secret. But how does this secret connect him to Abby? But this isn't Jimmy's story, or Abby's, not even Kyle Davis'...it's the story of a little girl named Phoebe and how she managed to repair a broken family.
1. Chapter 1

_**"This is my family. It's little and broken but good. Yeah...still good."**_

_**-Stitch, (Lilo and Stitch)**_

Phoebe Jessica Palmer curled up into a ball and buried her face in the starchy hospital pillows that usually lay behind her head. The ten year old whimpered slightly as she stared out the window and at the prone body of her twenty two year old brother who was half-slumped across the right side of it. She almost smiled when she saw the drool sliding down the side of his face, Percy never did want to leave her side. And now that she was in the hospital full time, he almost never left. Unless he had to go to work at NCIS. But while he was here, he only left her room when she bugged him to go downstairs and take a makeshift shower with a couple of baby wipes.

His full name was Percival James Palmer, most people called him 'Jimmy' for his middle name, but she always called him 'Percy'. Well, she and Kyle. Kyle Clark Davis was their older half-brother on their mother's side, but to Phoebe he was as much of her older brother as Percy was. Kyle was the oldest at twenty six, so he always had to work late at his pet shop, like now, to pay for her treatments and all that. Suddenly she felt a wet sensation spread from her left side of the bed and she sighed. She'd been in renal or kidney failure for nine months now. The ten year old reached out a small hand and placed it on Percy's knee, shaking it as lightly as he dared.

"Percy?...Percy?"

She whispered, shaking his knee a little harder when he didn't respond. The twenty two year old's brown eyes flicked open and he blinked groggily at her for a few moments before practically leaping to his feet. The young man pushed his thin wire-rimmed glasses up his nose, before walking over to the left side of her bed and as discretely as he could, lifting up the sheet and changing the wet pad under it.

"Sorry, Percy."

She whispered, a few stray tears slipping down her cheeks as she did so. Percy never complained about everything he had to do, not once and she hated it. Why couldn't he complain once in a while? Just to show her that he was still human, not just some mindless machine. The twenty two year old paused in his ministrations, then started up the same as before.

"It's fine, Phoebe. It's not your fault."

"It's my cancer, isn't it?"

She snapped, bristling at his patronizing tone. She hated his pity, he always got like this when he thought about the cancer. She was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia when she was only three years old, she'd been in remission three times and each time it had returned even more aggressive than before. They both knew that they were nearing the end of Phoebe's battle. They hoped that Kyle knew as much, but he was always so giddy and happy that they didn't want to dampen his spirits if he didn't. Her cancer was rare, aggressive, had relapsed three times, and she was in renal failure. They were already on borrowed time at best.

Percy didn't answer her, what could he say? They both knew that it was true, that she wasn't her cancer but, in a way she was, it was in her body after all. So instead of answering directly, he changed the subject matter. Only for Kyle to burst into the room, a wide and bright grin on his face as usual and he practically skipped over to Phoebe and wrapped her in a tight yet gentle hug.

"Kyle!"

Phoebe squealed, burying her face in his stomach. Kyle grinned and gently ran his hands over the patches of downy blond fuzz that covered her bald head. The young girl sighed, contently as she leaned against her oldest brother. Percy pushed himself off his chair and walked over to join his siblings, running his hand soothingly down Phoebe's spine. Soon enough, the little girl was asleep, leaning against both of them.

"Goodnight, Phoebe."

Kyle crooned softly, laying her limp body down gently in her bed. He covered her up with the white, starchy hospital sheets and both young men went to sleep on the hard and uncomfortable hospital chairs near her bed. Percy leaned backwards and rested his head against Kyle's chest, the older brother instinctively wrapping his arms around the younger.

"Goodnight, Kyle."

"Night, Jimmy."

-_Flashback-_

_"Phoebe has what?!"_

_"Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Mr. Palmer."_

_The pediatric oncologist explained once again, his usually gruff and monotone voice was soft and gentle as he looked at the distressed father, and the two young boys who sat beside him, three year old Phoebe sitting on the older boy's lap. The sixteen year old looked about to cry, but his twelve year old just gaped at the doctor, his thin wire-framed glasses slipping down his nose. _

_"L-Leukemia? B-But that's c-cancer."_

_The twelve year old stuttered, pulling his glasses off to clean them. The doctor nodded grimly and the glasses slipped from the preteen's hands, clinking against the tiled floor of the office as they hit. The sixteen year old boy made a choking noise, hand flying up to cover his mouth in his shock, he wrapped a protective arm around his baby sister who was cuddled in his lap. _

_"But it was just a bruise! A stupid bruise she probably got at pre-school! She's clumsy! That doesn't mean that she's sick!"_

_The sixteen year old practically wailed, but the doctor just looked at him with solemn eyes. Eyes that held nothing but pity, sympathy and the cold, hard truth. That's how he knew it to be true, that his little sister was sick and horribly so. Kyle unconsciously wrapped his arms even tighter around Phoebe as she fiddled with a toy in her tiny perfect hands. Hands that would soon be riddled with needles and the like, Kyle winced at the thought. _

_No...they had just lost their mom to breast cancer two years back. They couldn't lose Phoebe to cancer too. She had so much to do, so much to see, would she get married? Would she graduate high school? Would she go to her first prom? Would she go to first grade? She had to survive this, they would make her survive this. _

_All three tried their hardest to keep Phoebe going in the next coming years, when her cancer went into remission when she was five, but came back when she was six, it went into remission again when she was eight, but came back only three weeks later. That was also the year that Jeremy Daniel Palmer died in a car accident, their father was dead and they were on their own. Then her last and final remission was when she was nine, but it came back eight months ago. _

_-End Flashback- _

Percival 'Jimmy' Palmer never let his family life effect his work, even when he had to skip his father's funeral because he had work that day. Some days, he came to work smelling like Phoebe's vomit or when he hadn't had time to put on deodorant and make himself presentable, he always gave excuses. Excuses that were no where near the truth. He knew that they would try to understand, but then there would be pity and sympathy. Most people would appreciate the concern and effort but after seven years of being a cancer family, you begin to hate those things. They didn't need pity or sympathy.

Jimmy tried to keep up that mentality, even when he woke up to Kyle shaking his shoulder frantically and caught a full view of Phoebe vomiting up blood as it gushed from her nose. He was instantly horrified, her eyes were wide, red and bloodshot as blood dripped down from the corners of her mouth and flooded through the hands covering her nose.

"Shit!"

Jimmy cursed, leaping up from his chair to launch himself at the bed. He instantly folded himself to her side, resting her body against him as she vomited nosily into the bedpan that Kyle held under her chin. A pair of squeezed tears slid down her cheeks and Jimmy began to make small crooning noises.

"Hush baby...you're okay...Phoebe look at me...you are fine..."

Jimmy assured her and made sure to rub her back comfortingly as she puked, she looked at him with the most immensely pitiful eyes that he couldn't bare to look at her. This was his Phoebe, the little girl who could light up a room with the littlest and simplest of smiles. This mess of sickness, vomit and blood was not his little Phoebe.

Kyle was biting his bottom lip harshly as he manned the puke-pan, trying to angle it so all the vomited blood managed to hit correctly, sparing the bed. But then his wristwatch began to chime and he looked at Jimmy with wide eyes, wide doe eyes just like Phoebe's.

"Go."

Jimmy sighed, and Kyle gave him a half smile as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Phoebe's sweaty forehead. Before hurrying over to the corner of the room to change his shirt. Jimmy sighed, he wasn't going to make it to NCIS today, he couldn't leave Phoebe alone, not when she was like this and Kyle had to go to the pet store for his shift. He would have to call in sick to Ducky.

"Phoebe, I have to go outside and call my friend Ducky really quick. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Jimmy assured her, gently and the little girl nodded. She slumped backwards, exhausted and when Jimmy was sure she was alright, he whipped out his phone and hurried into the hall. The young M.E assistant opened his speed dial and pressed the first contact, holding the device to his ear.

"Dr. Donald Mallard."

Jimmy smiled at Ducky's voice and was quick to answer and tell his boss who exactly he was.

"Dr. Mallard? It's Jimmy, I won't be able to come into work today."

The young M.E sighed and he could almost hear the confusion in Ducky's voice when he spoke next. The older man didn't understand why Jimmy would call in sick...Jimmy NEVER called in sick, unless the need was dire.

"Mr. Palmer? What's the matter? Is everything alright? Are you well?"

Ducky asked hurried, his concern for his young protege was shooing through. It was obvious to everyone else how Ducky and Jimmy's relationship was that of a father and son. Both deeply cared for one another, Ducky was just like the father that Jimmy had lost when he was almost twenty years old.

"Yes Dr. Mallard, I'm fine. I just have to call in sick due to family issues."

Jimmy sighed and he knew Ducky was surprised, The young M.E assistant never spoke about his family or a anything relevant to his home life. They had just assumed that Jimmy lived alone or that his family was just dead.

"Oh, alright then. But Mr. Palmer, are you sure that you're alright?"

Ducky pressed and Jimmy ran a shaking hand through his dark curly locks. He sighed softly and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I'm fine, Dr."

Then he hung up with a short goodbye, and headed back into Phoebe's room.


	2. Chapter 2

Andy Clements quietly slipped out of his hospital room in the Children's Oncology ward and padded down the hall, dragging his IV pole along with him. His nurse, Cindy, had told him that Phoebe was back and that she probably missed him. He smiled quietly to himself, he liked Phoebe. She was his best friend and had been since they were younger and placed in the same room together. But they weren't even in the same hall anymore, he was an Osteosarcoma and she, a Leukemia. They didn't like to pair blood and bone cancers anymore, not like they used to.

He didn't like to say so, but he had an amazingly huge crush on Phoebe. The girl was three months younger than him but she always knew how to make him laugh or snort, she really was his best friend. She was the girl he gave his first kiss too.

_-Flashback-_

_"Phoebs, are you sure we won't get in trouble?"_

_Andy whispered, both child-cancer patients were ducked under the nurse's station. They had snuck away from the Cancer ward's annual 'Dance', to end up here. Both kids were squished together tightly under the cramped table, but neither really seemed to mind. Andy almost smiled when he saw the mischievous twinkle in Phoebe's translucent blue eyes. _

_"Stop worrying, Andy! It'll be fine, I pro-."_

_"You look really pretty."_

_Andy cut her off mid-sentence, blushing slightly as he whispered his statement. Only raising his eyes in time to see little Phoebe blush scarlet and look down at her wrinkled dress, fingering the light blond wig that hung in ringlets over her shoulders. She licked her lips before she spoke again. _

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah. But you'd look better without this."_

_She just gaped openly at Andy as he gently reached up and pulled her light blond curly wig off of her head, then he dropped it in the chair attached to the nurse's station. Then he smiled sweetly, she was beautiful. She didn't need a wig, makeup or a pretty dress to look beautiful. She always looked the most beautiful when they were lying side by side in her hospital bed, her chest tube connected to an IV, both of them dressed in matching teddy bear hospital gowns. Phoebe just smiled a kind little smile at Andy. _

_"I like you a lot and it's okay if you don't like m-"_

_Andy was cut off as Phoebe pressed her lips to his. Her lips were soft and a little chapped but he didn't mind. It felt nice. She felt nice. It was a secret but...He wouldn't mind marrying Phoebe someday, she'd like that._

_-End Flashback-_

Andy finally reached Phoebe's room, only to peer inside carefully. He saw Phoebe asleep in her bed and Jimmy slumped in a chair beside her, his head resting on the foot of her bed. Both were clearly asleep. Andy padded silently over to Phoebe's bed, climbing up and slumping down beside her. He shook her shoulder gently.

"Phoebs?"

He whispered quietly, then smiled when she flicked open her bright blue eyes and gave a small smile to him. The ten year old wiped her hand across her nose before gesturing for him to hug her, Andy gladly obliged, throwing his arms around her gently. He made sure not to press their chests too close together, he didn't want to squish her chest tubes or his own port-a-cath. After the hug, he settled himself beside her and made to wake up Jimmy but Phoebe stopped him.

"Let him sleep, he was up for a while."

She sighed and Andy just nodded, Phoebe reached over and turned on the TV so they could watch what was on. It turned out to be the Lion King, both of them knew all the songs by heart so they would sing along. Quietly of course, they didn't want to wake Jimmy from his much needed nap.

"I'm getting surgery next week, Phoebs."

Andy whispered, when the conversation had finally lulled into comfortable silence. But that statement made Phoebe sit bolt upright, turning her face towards him as she studied him. If she were to be honest, he looked more healthy than she did. Why was he the one getting surgery? It wasn't fair.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She whimpered out, softly. She bit her bottom lip in worry and Andy reached over to rest a pale hand on her shoulder. He smiled his characteristic smile and even laughed a little bit.

"Because I didn't want you to worry, Phoebs. I'll be fine. It's just to remove the tumor from my back."

He explained, saying it as if it were nothing. No big deal. But it was to Phoebe, she was used to going under the knife, she was fine with it when it was her. But not Andy, never Andy. She'd thought he was in remission, that he was getting better. Had he lied to her? Why would he do that? He had never done that before.

"But you said you were getting better! You were in remission!"

Phoebe cried, she couldn't help the tears that bubbled in her eyes, she blinked them away hurried. They didn't help her, they were just a distraction. Seven year cancer patients didn't cry, they just fought on and survived. Andy just stared at her with wide, surprised eyes.

"Why did you lie, Andy?! Why...did...you...lie?!"

Phoebe growled at her best friend, who just stared at her in total and utter shock. The eleven year old boy just raised his hand in surrender but Phoebe gestured to the door. Andy did try to reason with her though.

"Phoebs..."

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM ANDY!"

The ten year old screamed and Andy nodded, slipping out of the bed and padding out of the room quietly. Leaving Phoebe to burst into tears and cry into her pillow. Fuck...life...fuck...death...fuck stupid cancer!


	3. Chapter 3

"Come here, Phoebe."

Jimmy whispered gently as he opened his arms and moved forwards to sit on the edge of her bed, the ten year old didn't bother to protest and merely crawled forwards until she was cradled in her older brother's lap. She leaned against his chest and curled up her legs, just as Jimmy closed his arms around her. He was especially careful not to jostle any of the needles and other tubes attached to his baby sister's frail frame. Jimmy also ignored the way that his shoulder began to dampen as Phoebe's tears were pressed into the starchy fabric. He softly began to rub little circles onto her back as she sobbed, murmuring meaningless words of comfort into her ear.

"Percy...? Why would he do that? Why would he lie?"

Jimmy just looked at his sister, tears filling his own eyes as he stared at the pitiful scene in front of him. He shook his head as he wiped the unwanted tears on his sleeve. Instead choosing to press a gentle kiss to Phoebe's forehead. A retort blossomed in Jimmy's mind.

'I don't know, Phoebe. I don't know a lot of things.'

But he didn't say it, he couldn't. Phoebe thought he knew everything, adults and older siblings were always perfect in children's eyes. Even if Jimmy was pretty far from perfect. He didn't say a lot of things nowadays.

_-Flashback-_

_"Would mine work?"_

_Jimmy whispered, eyes clouded and sad as looked up at Phoebe's doctor. Kyle was beside him, the older brother was just staring at the doctor in disbelief. Jimmy cursed his idea to have Kyle come in with him to see Phoebe's doctor, his older brother was too sensitive, too caring. He just knew that there would be tears...But don't get him wrong, Kyle had changed over the last few years. Gone was the overconfident little crybaby, who would cry at the drop of a pin. Nowadays most of Kyle's bouts of tears were into his pillow at night when he thought that nobody could hear. But hospital walls aren't soundproof. _

_"What about mine?"_

_Kyle piped up beside Jimmy, his strong hand resting on his younger brother's slightly quaking shoulder. But Phoebe's doctor just shook his head at both of the devastated brothers. _

_"Percival is a match, but the guidelines for donation clearly state that we can not use a kidney donated from a diabetic. Kyle, due to the fact that you and Phoebe are only half-siblings there was only a slim chance that you would be a match. You aren't."_

_The doctor sighed and Jimmy instantly launched to his feet, pointing a finger at the doctor's chest. The tears prickling in his eyes and the fact that he was shaking was pure evidence of just how upset he really was. The young man looked purely ready to pass out. _

_"So what are we supposed to do then?! She's in full-blown renal failure! She won't last much longer, not like this! She needs a new fucking kidney and you're denying me the ability to give it to her because I have a bum pancreas?! Let me donate the one thing I can actually give my baby sister, so that she has a fighting chance!"_

_Jimmy shrieked, his voice cracking as he did so. The doctor just looked at the devastated young man in front of him with concern and sympathy. He reached over and gently rested a hand on the young man's shoulder. _

_"Percival...I understand that you're upset, but it's dangerous for a diabetic to only have one kidney and to go through such a major surgery. Your other kidney won't be able to compensate."_

_The doctor sighed comforting and Jimmy bristled almost instantly at his tone. It was patronizing and concerned, two things that Jimmy didn't want. Not from the doctor who was supposed to save his sister's life. Kyle wrapped a strong arm around his brother's shoulder and pulled the young man back into his chair. When he had heard the words 'dangerous' and 'won't be able to compensate', he knew that he wasn't going to allow Jimmy to do this. Not like this, he couldn't let his little brother put his life in jeopardy like that. Jimmy looked at him with doe eyes filled with grief and hurt. _

_In turn, Kyle instantly pulled Jimmy into his chest for a hug. The doctor left the room a few moments later, as both brothers broke down sobbing into each other's arms. How strange it is, that the things you don't ever see coming are the ones that are strong enough to kill you._

_-End Flashback-_

Jimmy gently laid a sleeping Phoebe back down on her bed and grabbed his phone before stepping out and into the hallway. But still he watched her from the window looking into the room, just to make sure that she was alright. Then he scrolled through the missed calls on his phone, 4 from Dr. Mallard, 2 from McGee, 2 from Tony, 8 from Abby, 4- from Ziva and...Jimmy gulped...1 from Gibbs. He'd better call someone to see what they wanted.

He chose randomly and ended up hitting Abby's number, as he waited for her to pick up he rested the phone against his ear, only to pull it backwards as Abby's worried voice filtered through.

"Jimmy? Is that you? Are you okay? All Ducky would tell us was that you were having a family crises!"

Abby cried, worried and Jimmy ran a tentative hand through his curly dark hair as he prepared to answer, only to be startled as an elderly nurse tugged on his arm. He looked at her and motioned towards his phone before speaking.

"Sir, you can't use your phone in this part of the hospital. It interferes with our lifesaving equipment. But you can take your call in the office area, it's machine-free."

The nurse explained and Jimmy instantly paled at the words 'life-saving equipment' and he gave the woman a curt nod as she led him towards a sealed off, wooden doored room. That was where he rested the phone against his ear again and he heard Abby's even more worried voice.

"Jimmy? Oh god, was that a nurse? Did she say hospital? Life-saving equipment? Jimmy!"

Abby practically wailed and he heard the sound of worried chatter behind her, but he couldn't for the life of him, understand what the hell it was that they were saying. Jimmy's brow instantly furrowed in confusion.

"Abby, who else is there with you?"

There was a sound of shuffling a button being pushed and suddenly a mob of voices assaulted Jimmy's ear drums. There was Tony's yell of '_Autopsy Gremlin_! _What's up_?!', Ziva recognition of '_Jimmy_', McGee's '_Palmer_', Dr. Mallard's '_Mr_. _Palmer, are you alright_?' and Gibbs' bark of '_Palmer_! _Why aren't you here_?' And then Abby's explanation of '_I'm in the bullpen and put you on speaker_.' Out of all the voices that assaulted his ear drums, Gibbs' seemed to be the most pressing concern at the moment.

"I-I'm dealing w-with family issues, Sir."

Jimmy stammered as he looked around what must have been recently used as a meeting room because it absolutely reeked of coffee and lemon-scented Lysol. The only answer that he got from Gibbs was somewhat of a grunt, while Abby worried pressed her questions again.

"Jimmy you didn't answer me before! Why are you at a hospital with life-saving equipment?"

Abby cried worriedly and Jimmy sighed, debating on whether or not to come clean and just explain was was weighing on him like an anvil.

"Because a member of my family is sick, Abby."

Jimmy finally sighed and there was an overwhelming silence from her end before she spoke again, this time it was concern and pity that he could place in her tone and he bit his lip to stop himself from saying something that he might regret.

"How sick? Just sick sick, or really sick, or about-to-die sick?"

Jimmy was silent after that question and finally he managed to cough out an answer, probably the one that all those listening were dreading.

"T-The last one..."

He whispered hoarsely and before anyone could say anything, he was already talking again.

"B-But don't worry, I-I'll be back to work by tomorrow. I-I'm pretty sure I can get my big brother to watch her and-"

"You don't have to come in, Palmer. If you need to be at the hospital, it's totally understandable."

Gibbs barked gruffly, but his voice was laced with empathy and concern. Gibbs had lost someone he loved before too, but Jimmy just sighed and answered quickly.

"No it's fine, she's been sick a long time."

He whispered before hanging up his phone and collapsing in one of the table's desk chairs. He let his head slump into his arms as he felt his shoulders shake from fatigue.

'_**All we can do is keep breathing...'**_


End file.
